Effect of MXene content on the electromagnetic wave absorption performance of MXene-based composites

Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene)-based composites are considered electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) materials due to their dielectric properties, microstructure, and synergistic interactions with magnetic particles. A better understanding of the effect of the MXene content in composites on the EMA performance is essential for their application, yet it remains unclear. Here, MXene/PU@Fe₃O₄ (MPF) microspheres with different MXene contents were produced through the incorporation of magnetic particles and multiple electrostatic self-assembly processes. The results show that when the molar ratio of MXene to Fe₃O₄ is less than 0.5:1, the EMA performance of the MPF microspheres gradually increases with increasing MXene content. MPF microspheres exhibit the best EMA performance when the molar ratio of MXene to Fe₃O₄ is 0.5:1, with a maximum reflection loss (RL) of 44.0 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 2.30 GHz. Further increases in this ratio led to an increase in the EAB but a slight reduction in the maximum RL. Additionally, the combination of the same MXene and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle ratio had no significant effect on the EMA performance. We expect that this work will enrich the EMA performance research on MXene-based composites.